Residence of Thomas Miller, near Gifford. Grace is sitting in a chair by the fence.

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*By Twyla Salisbury

The Indian Hill Cemetery is located in Pettis Township 61, Section 34, Range 16. To reach it, you take Route H south from Kirksville to Highway 11. Take 11 south to Route N, take N to just east of Yarrow, turn south on a gravel road. Go past Route HH almost to the Macon County line about 3 miles. The cemetery is at the corner where the first gravel road goes east after HH>.

The cemetery started when Frances, daughter of Washington and Grace Miller, was buried on the Henry Nelson,Sr. Farm in 1850. Some Nelsons and perhaps others were already buried there. Hentry Nelson died in 1854 and Washington Miller bought the property. He marked off 1/2 acre as a cemetery before he died in 1855. In 1855 five Nelsons died from what was diagnosed as cholera. In 1884 two of Mrs. Miller's sons, Thomas and Daniel (half brothers), fenced the land and named it Indian Hill Cemetery, deeding it for use of the neighborhood, except for a 20'X30' plot for the Miller family on which were already buried John, Nancy, and Washington Miller, their graves mounded for easy location.>.

Millers, Glucks and Magers set out evergreens to mark their lots. Some of these trees still stand. In 1934 Creed Robinson and George Anspach built a wall on the west side to prevent caving in and erosion aand men of the neighborhood used cement blocks to mark all the known graves. (No names and dates.)>.

One grave is of an unknown alien teen-aged railroad worker who died in a brawl at the camp of the Iowa and St. Louis Railroad employees in 1904 or 1905. He was given a funeral by the neighborhood which followed the traditions of his native land. A field stone marks his grave.

February 8, 1940, Manford Miller deeded another 1/2 acre of land joining the cemetery on the south, free for burial to neighbors. There are 7 half lots with 6 graves each and 21 lots of 12 graves each in this section.

Indian Hill Extension Club in the 1950s held bake sales, etc. to raise money to beautify the cemetery, to fence the cemetery, put up a sign, and to purchase lawn mowers.